Utility Table

ABSTRACT

A multi-purpose utility table includes a top portion having a recessed sink portion, a housing for slidably engaging a hose or tube, an opening formed through the top portion, and a sheath for holding a sharp implement used at the utility table. The sink portion further includes a drain and an overflow outlet. Support members collapse easily and nest in the top portion of the table to provide an easily transportable multi-purpose utility table.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/348,556, filed May 26, 2010, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to tables. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to tables having specialized functionalities.

2. Related Art

An organized and functional work surface is utilized to increase the ease and efficiency with which nearly any task is completed. While a simple table top is sufficient for many tasks, specialized work surfaces are often employed to enhance organization and efficiency when completing certain specialized or specific tasks. Such specialized work surfaces provide optimal control over a work environment and enhance the enjoyment and ease with which tasks are performed.

While many specialized work tables include enhanced storage areas, a surface designed to attach to a certain electronic or mechanical device, and other design elements integrally formed in the table, such tables are not designed to accommodate tasks that may involve using water on the table surface. Moreover, specialized tasks that involve cleaning fish and game can be simplified if a work surface is designed to meet the specialized needs of such a task.

What is needed is a utility table specifically designed to enable the user to perform tasks that may involve water, cleaning and preparing fish and game, or other specialized tasks that require water and other conveniences to help in cleanliness, in an easy, clean, and efficient manner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are related to a table designed to provide ease and efficiency when using water to clean and prepare fish, or for other purposes where water is used in a specialized task. Tables embodied in the present invention include a top surface having a recessed sink portion with a drain, and a cover that may be placed over the recessed portion, thus creating a flat and planar table top surface. The table also includes attachments for holding a hose, or other water supply, and a sheath for containing a knife or other sharp implement that requires safe storage to prevent injury. Finally, the table embodied in the present invention is also collapsible, with legs configured to nest in the bottom of the table top, thus enhancing the portability of the table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other aspects of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawing. It is appreciated that this drawing depicts only a typical embodiment of the invention and is therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The drawing is not drawn to scale. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows an isometric side view of one embodiment of the utility table.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention include a table designed and configured for ease and efficiency in cleaning and preparing fish and game, and for other applications involving the use of water in a table-top task. The table of the present invention includes a top surface having a recessed sink portion, a hole or opening through which waste can be discarded, a housing for holding a water supply hose, and a sheath for housing and protecting an implement such as, for example, a knife. The recessed sink portion further includes a drain which can be plugged for retaining water and unplugged for releasing water. Further, an overflow outlet of the sink portion allows water to escape when the water level reaches a certain height, thus preventing overflow of the entire sink portion. These and other embodiments will be discussed in further detail below.

With attention now to FIG. 1, a utility table 100 is shown. Table 100 includes a top portion having a top surface, 102, through which opening 104 is formed. Recessed sink portion 106 is also formed in the top surface 102 of table 100. In one embodiment of the invention, a cover (not shown) configured to fit precisely over recessed sink portion 106 can be placed over sink portion 106 to create a continuous flat, planar table top surface at the same level as top surface 102. A cover for opening 104, also not shown, is included in embodiments of the present invention and also works to create a continuous planar surface with top surface 102 of table 100.

While top surface 102 includes sink portion 106, the utility of sink portion 106, and table 100 in general, is enhanced by drain opening 108, which can be plugged or unplugged to retain and release water. Sink 106 further includes outlet 110, which serves to allow water a passageway for release of water from sink 106 in order to minimize or prevent overflow.

Other aspects of the present invention included with table top 102 are housing 112 and sheath 114. Housing 112 is configured to releasably engage a hose or other water supply tube. The configuration of housing 112 specifically enables a hose to be moved back and forth through the housing, while being made to catch structure near the opening of the hose or tube, thus preventing the hose from falling out of the housing. Stated differently, housing 112 slidably engages a hose or tube, allowing the hose to be moved through the housing, but having a configuration such that the end of a hose will not pass out of the housing but will be retained in the housing near the sink portion 106.

As stated above, in addition to sink portion 106, table 100 also includes a sheath 114. Sheath 114 has an opening 116 into which a knife or other implement can be placed. When the knife is placed into sheath 114 through opening 116, the sheath protects the knife from contacting the user with its sharp edges and provides a convenient location for placement of the knife or other implement in use at the table 100. Sheath 114 may be removed from the top portion 102 of the table 100 when the table is placed in a stored position. In one embodiment of the invention, sheath 114 is nested in the bottom of table 100 when the table is in a stored position.

In addition to various table top elements, table 100 also includes leg and support members extending from the underside of table 100, such as legs 118 and 120 and support members 122 and 124, which span between and attach to legs 118 and 120, respectively. In one embodiment of the invention, legs 118 and 120 extend from the top portion f table 100 at an angle slightly greater than ninety degrees to further enhance the stability of the table.

Table 100 may further include ancillary or additional support members to enhance the stability of strength of table 100, such as, for example, supports 126 and 128. In one embodiment of the invention, support members 122 and 124 are configured to enable legs 118 and 120, and support members 122 and 124, to nest in the bottom of table 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, support members 122 and 124 are bowed outward from the center of table 100 in a configuration suitable for nesting in the bottom of table 100.

It is to be appreciated that table 100 may be in an upright, or open, position or in a closed or stored position. When the table is in a stored position, support members 118 and 120, as well as secondary supports 122 and 124, and all other attachments for supporting the top portion of the table that may be included, are housed in the bottom of the top portion of table 100 such that these members nest completely in the bottom of the table. Stated differently, no portion or piece of the support members, or other part of the table, extends beyond the bottom of the top portion of the table when the table is in a stored or closed position.

In one embodiment of the invention, table 100 is configured of a suitable material such as, for example, blow-molded plastic. Such a material provides for a lightweight design of table 100 and further enhances the portability and functionality of table 100.

In operation, table 100 is employed when legs 118 and 120, having supports 122 and 124, are released from a nesting position in the bottom of the top portion of table 100 and set in an open position, as shown in FIG.e 1. Top surface 102 of table 100 is then in a position parallel to the ground or other surface upon which legs 118 and 120 rest. A hose, or other tube, is routed through housing 112 to deliver water to sink portion 106. When drain 108, formed in the bottom of sink 106, is plugged, water is added to sink portion 106. After water has been added to sink portion 106, a hose delivering the water rests in housing 112 so that the hose is easily available to deliver water to the user.

When sink 106 is filled with water, outlet 110 allows excess water to escape sink 106 and prevents overflow of water onto table top 102. As table 100 is used, a knife or other sharp tool or implement may be placed through opening 116 into sheath 114, thus protecting users from contacting sharp edges of a knife or other implement. Sheath 114 also provides a convenient resting place for a knife so that the knife is readily accessible to the user.

The functionality of the table is further enhanced by opening 104, through which garbage or other waste material can be placed. In one embodiment of the invention, opening 104 is configured to releasably engage a garbage bag or other container that holds waste deposited through opening 104.

In one application, table 100 is used as a fillet table for the cleansing and preparation of fish caught by an angler. Before cleansing and preparation of the fish begins, a waste container, such as a bag or garbage can, is placed under opening 104 in table top 102. In one embodiment of the invention, opening 104 is configured such that a bag can be attached directly to the underside of opening 104, thus catching any waste deposited through opening 104.

In addition, a hose is placed through housing 112 so that water can be supplied to sink portion 106. When drain 108 is plugged, water is added to sink portion 106. To prevent water from overflowing sink 106 and spreading onto table top 102, outlet 110 is provided and attached to sink 106. Fish is placed in sink portion 106 and cleaned and prepared, with waste materials being deposited through opening 104. Water is drained from sink 106 as needed by unplugging drain opening 108. In one embodiment of the invention, a tube extends from drain opening 108 which directs water away from table 100 and prevents discharge of the water on or near the user of table 100. As the user needs additional water for preparation of the fish, water is supplied through a hose that is held in housing 112. A knife or other implement used in preparation of the fish is inserted in opening 116 and stored in sheath 114, thus protecting the user from sharp edges of the knife while at the same time keeping the knife in an easily accessible storage location.

The configuration of table 100 allows for optimal utility in an easily stored and transported table. The configuration of table 100 is specially designed to facilitate tasks requiring water, or in applications where a sink is useful in performing a task. While table 100 provides an effective work space for such applications, the ability to cover the sink portion and disposal opening allow for the transformation of the table from a sink station to a table having a completely flat and planar surface.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 

1. A table, comprising: a top portion having a top surface; two or more support members extending from the top portion, the two or more support members being oriented in a position substantially orthogonal to the top portion when the table is in an upright position and the two or more support members being oriented in a position substantially parallel to the top portion when the table is in a stored position; secondary supports attached to the two or more support members and configured to nest in a bottom of the top portion; a recessed sink portion formed in the top portion of the table, the recessed sink portion having a drain opening in a bottom of the recessed sink portion and an overflow outlet formed in a side of the recessed sink portion, wherein the drain opening has a plugged position and an unplugged position; an opening formed through the top portion of the table and separate from the sink portion of the table; a housing attached to a top surface of the top portion of the table configured to slidably engage a hose and further configured to prevent an end of the hose from falling through the housing; and a sheath formed in the top portion of the table, and having an opening at the top surface of the top portion of the table, the sheath configured to hold a sharp implement.
 2. The table as recited in claim 1, wherein the top portion is configured of blow-molded plastic.
 3. The table as recited in claim 1, wherein the two or more legs extend from the top portion of the table at an angle slightly greater than ninety degrees, when the table is in an upright position.
 4. The table as recited in claim 1, wherein secondary supports attached to the two or more support members include two beveled supports, where each of the beveled supports attaches to two legs positioned on a shorter side of the table, the beveled supports being configured to nest in a bottom of the table when the table is in a storage position.
 5. The table as recited in claim 1, wherein the opening in the top portion of the table is configured to releasably engage a bag for holding waste material that is deposited through the opening.
 6. The table as recited in claim 1, further comprising one or more covers for covering the opening and recessed sink portions formed in the top portion of the table, thus creating a continuous flat, planar surface on the top portion of the table when the coverings are in use.
 7. The table as recited in claim 1, wherein the support members are configured to nest in the top portion of the table such that no portion of the support members or attachments or additions thereto extend beyond a bottom surface of the top portion of the table when the support members are in a closed or stored position.
 8. The table as recited in claim 1, wherein the drain opening further includes a flexible tube attached to the drain opening and extending down from the drain opening.
 9. A utility table, comprising: a table top portion having a substantially rectangular shape with support legs extending vertically from each corner of the top portion in a position substantially orthogonal to the top portion of the table; horizontal support members extending between two legs located at each of the shorter ends of the substantially rectangular top portion, the horizontal support members attaching to the legs and having a beveled configuration outward from the center of the top portion of the table; a circular opening extending through the top portion; a recessed sink portion having a substantially rectangular shape and configured to occupy more than half of a surface area of the top portion of the table, the recessed sink portion further including a drain that has a plugged and an unplugged position; a housing attached to the top portion of the table wherein the housing is configured to releasably engage a hose and to catch an end of a hose through which water is discharged, thus preventing the hose end from falling through the housing; and, a sheath extending downward from the top portion of the table in a direction substantially orthogonal to the top portion of the table, the sheath having an opening at the surface of the top portion of the table through which an implement may be inserted, the sheath providing a place in which the implement may be stored while the table is in use.
 10. The table as recited in claim 9, wherein the table has an open position and a stored position.
 11. The table as recited in claim 10, wherein the support members and legs of the table nest in the bottom of the top portion of the table such that no portion of the legs or support members extends beyond the bottom of the top portion of the table when the table is in a stored position.
 12. The table as recited in claim 9, wherein the circular opening extending through the top portion of the table is configured to releasably engage a bag.
 13. The table as recited in claim 9, further comprising a cover configured to rest over the sink portion of the table thus creating a surface over the sink portion of the table that is a continuous extension of the top surface of the table and rests at a level identical to a level of the top surface of the table.
 14. The table as recited in claim 13, further comprising a cover configured to rest over the circular opening of the top portion of the table, thus creating a surface over the circular opening of the table that is a continuous extension of the top surface of the table and rests at a level identical to the level of the top surface of the table.
 15. The table as recited in claim 9, wherein the housing is removable from the table and can be attached to a bottom of the top portion of the table.
 16. The table as recited in claim 9, wherein the sheath is removable from the table and can be attached to a bottom of the top portion of the table.
 17. The table as recited in claim 9, wherein the drain attaches to a flexible tube that extends down from the top portion of the table.
 18. The table as recited in claim 9, wherein the sink portion further includes a overflow outlet. 